The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

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I don’t get annoyed very easily. However, nothing gets under my craw more than hearing the word “manipulation” tossed around so recklessly whenever a stock does not perform as investors expect. It infuriates me. I hear this claim all the time from investors of low priced stocks such as Sirius XM, Sprint and Citigroup before its reverse split last year. But now, it has escalated to a different level.

Stop the Double Standard

This week, no other stock has been more closely linked with the word “manipulation” than Apple. As an Apple shareholder myself, I can tell you that I have seen some “irregularities” on its stock chart. However, my aggravation is not due to the use of the word “manipulation” itself, but because of the constant double-standard that comes with it. It makes it hard to have an intelligent conversation.

It seems when it comes to Apple, the stock can only be “manipulated” in one direction - down. Cries to the SEC and demands for investigations only come when the stock is going the wrong way, never when the stock is going up. But how can that be?

On Wednesday, shares of Apple dropped over 6%, or essentially the company lost $35 billion of its value. There were considerable amount of speculation as to why that happened. And depending on who you ask, you will be given a host of answers. Some might be true, but others might be complete lunacy. Or there may be a combination.

However, investors should ask themselves what did we really know about Apple on Wednesday that we didn’t already know? Not a whole lot. At least I don’t recall any news coming from Tim Cook. Instead, investors panicked and forgot why they invested in the company in the first place.

Nonetheless, it was funny to see that as the stock was being punished, investors of rival companies such as Research in Motion, Google and Microsoft were cheering Apple’s so-called demise. They think all of a sudden the company has lost its ability to innovate. Really? The company is only a week removed learning that it has just overtaken Google in U.S. smartphone market share. Let’s not get carried away.

It is hard to imagine that Apple would be on the receiving end of criticism from RIM – on innovation, no less. After all, RIM is still shedding government contracts left and right because its BlackBerries are perceived unreliable. Think for a moment what an indictment that would be.

It is Manipulation or Paranoia?

Making matters worse what that several Apple longs started believing all of the noise and making a mockery of themselves on Twitter with claims of “manipulation” to anyone that would listen. Instead, the smart thing to do would be to have taken the drop as a buying opportunity rather than deceiving ourselves into thinking that the company was somehow really in trouble.

Does manipulation occur? Absolutely it does. But I will never accuse anyone of doing it. Sure, if one looks closely enough into any stock chart some “abnormalities” might stand out. But is it “manipulation” or paranoia? This is the question I’m beginning to wonder when certain investors who believe that Apple deserves special attention.

In other words, the company has become a victim of its own popularity. To say it more plainly, the SEC should start monitoring Apple’s trading for criminal activity. But why? I think as an Apple investor, this would hurt my chances of making money.

For instance, how quickly we forget that just a few weeks ago shares of Apple soared over 7% in one day. After closing on 11/16 at $527.68, the stock closed the very next session at $565.73, or a jump of $38. This happened on basically no news. Where were the cries for manipulation then?

Another example is that from the period of July 25 to September 21, shares of Apple soared 24% or $135 in just 42 trading sessions. That means the stock was up an average of $3.21 per day for 42 consecutive days. Do you know how impressive that is?

Even more remarkable was that it followed a Q3 earnings announcement that was pretty uninspiring. Again where were the cries for manipulation then? The stock saw a quick run-up to $705 and now it is taking a slight pause. Call it a correction if you like, but it is certainly not being manipulated. Call me naive, so what – I can’t have it both ways. It’s childish to think that I can.

Bottom Line

In the stock market, the word “manipulation” helps us explain something that we can’t understand. It’s also another way to deflect blame off ourselves and to someone else – this is even though we can’t prove it. However, I will argue that every stock on the market is manipulated. If you can’t agree to this, then none of them are.

It sounds very cliché to say, but “stocks go up and stocks go down.” Here’s another one, “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.” And here’s my favorite,” if you can’t prove it, don’t say it.”